


Equilibrium

by Moonwanderer



Series: Bruce Appreciation Week 2018 [4]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Arguing, Awkwardness, Bruce Appreciation Week 2018, Bruce Needs a Hug, BruceWeek, Friendship, Gen, Science, Sort Of, Team Bonding, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-18 01:14:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16107713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonwanderer/pseuds/Moonwanderer
Summary: Trying to fix a problem with his new suit, Steve has a chance to understand his least trusted teammate.





	Equilibrium

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for the "Bruce Appreciation Week 2018" event.  
> Day4: "Science"
> 
> I am not a native speaker, so mistakes may be found.  
> I do not own the characters, etc., etc.,...

Bruce is often mistaken as a broken, shy man; his quiet, observing manners as lacking confidence; his kind and polite ways as weakness. There was just a few who could see through his facade, and he liked it that way. But when it came to science, he was ready to show his true form: persistent, fierce, loyal and passionate.

Steve was the last one in the team to let his guards down when he was near this man, and even after times Bruce proved himself worthy of their trusts, the soldier found himself never fully relaxed when they were together. If Banner was aware of this or not, he didn’t really know,- though he guessed Bruce knew- but the doctor was always kind and polite towards him.

Still, Steve noticed that something is different in the way the doctor is doing towards him and the rest of the team. What was that thing, however, he never wanted to ask.

And now they were in the lab together, after a very exhausting day, when they tried to work out a problem in the captain’s new suit. Tony designed it, just like the most of these kind of stuff, but the genius was out of town, which left Bruce alone to find and fix the problem. Still, almost 14 hours passed, and nothing seemed to work.

No wonder both of them were tired and a little bit pissed.

This day, however, Bruce was different. He looked determined. His eyes lit alive with fire unseen before. He was always in motion. He even cursed one time when a circuit went out, causing the main computer to freeze. And he spoke more than Steve has ever heard him.

But despite all of his ideas, just the minor difficulties were sorted out, they couldn’t find the cause.

"I think we should call it a day, doctor!" Steve said after the umpteenth time, flexing his aching muscles. The suit felt dirty and foreign on his skin, and how he wished for a good book and a hot shover. But the other man just shook his head, raking skillful fingers through the messy curls of his graying hair.

"I’m afraid we have to keep trying a little bit more. It’s almost done, but I detect instability in the defense system, as if, I say, it’s asymmetric, and our goal should be..."

"Oh, for God’s sake! It’s almost done, and such a minor defect couldn’t cause much problem in the future, I don’t understand why it can’t be left like this! If Tony was here, I bet he would have solved it in no time!"

Steve had to admit, he was a bit harsher than he intended to be. The air seemed to freeze between them, some alarming tension rose, and he took a step back quickly, feeling naked without his shield, expecting something large and green to lunge at him...

Bruce sighed, his shoulders sagged, and Steve no longer felt threatened. He realised he messed up big time, because all of Bruce’s passion and determination left, leaving the man in the stance he used when he was in the company of strangers: looking small, neutral and grey- someone not worth a second look. A stance Bruce never used since he became part of the team, and now here he was in front of Steve, acting like a stranger, like the very first time.

"It’s okay, Steve!" He said, voice calm and low, lacking the fire from earlier. "You are right, we should let Tony have a look at this."

Steve felt guilt creeping up bitter in his throat. Well done, Rogers!- He thought, angry at himself..- See what you’ve done!

"I didn’t mean to..."

"It’s okay." Bruce said again, kind and reassuring, every gesture agonizingly collected. "You must be exhausted. Feel free to go, try and relax, we could continue whenever you are ready again. Or as you said, it would be wiser to wait for Tony instead."

"No." Steve replied, and took a step forward. "No!" He said again, locking his gaze in the scientist’s. He sensed the discomfort from Bruce, when the other man realised he was cornered, but he fought off the urge to back away.

"I trust you."

Bruce couldn’t hold back a laughter, bitter and tired.

"Just let’s continue the work..." Steve wouldn’t stop now, he wanted to fix the mess he caused. "You should...I know that I’m far from that intelligent you are, but you should try and explain the problem for me, and maybe we could figure something out."

Bruce held his gaze long, as if he was running a test on him, but persistence was one of Steve’s biggest talent, and after some time the doctor let out a loud sigh, and Steve knew he won this round.

"All right, Captain. See, the problem with your suit is that it’s in a form of inbalance. And as long as it remains in this state, it won’t work properly. And that can be dangerous during future missions. That’s why it’s important for us to find the fitting balance. And it’s not just for science. All things in this world aspire after equilibrium, and till they can’t reach it, they live in a constant state of distress. Weapons. Experiments. Animals. Human." Bruce lifted a hand and leaned his forehead to his fingertips. A shadow crossed his face, and now he looked weary and shaken, eyes dark with emotions. "It’s an important thing, Steve, because if something has to try too long, if they just can’t reach it despite their best efforts, they just...you know...What could harm more: giving up or never stop trying?"

These words were like a punch to the gut. Steve found himself unable to answer, realisation digging deep, and he cursed himself how he could be such a fool not to notice it earlier...

A shiver ran through the smaller man, and his eyes were more focused now. He smiled, faint and apologetic, and rubbed his face.

"So what I was trying to say, we should find a way to restore its balance. But I think we worked enough. You were right, call it a day!"

Steve nodded, not wanting to add more to the other’s discomfort. Revealing one’s true emotions makes a man feel vulnerable, and he didn’t want to hurt his teammate more than he did so far.

"Alright, doctor. And please, forgive me for my earlier behaviour!"

Bruce shrugged.

"You don’t owe me an apology. It’s not like we are friends anyway..."

And that was the time when Steve understood what was the difference regarding him and the rest of the team. Bruce considered them, Tony, Clint, Thor, hell, even Nat as his friends, but the way Steve acted towards him...

Oh man, this is awkward! Steve was an old-fashioned man, it didn’t come natural for him to express his feelings, but now he knew if he expected things to change, it would be his responsibility to give it a start.

"You are right. But if you won’t mind... we could change this." Steve said. Bruce smiled at him.

"We could."

"Okay. Hm... So... Thank you for your hard work today!" The soldier said, and after taking a few steps away, he turned back and offered his friend a smile. "And Bruce...! I hope you know that if you are willing to let us... we could be your equilibrium."

And there they were again, the sparks of hope in those big, tired brown eyes, and for the first time in his life Steve was sure he made the right choice saying the words that lived in his heart.

**Author's Note:**

> Please, feel free to leave a comment!  
> Negative comments or comments of displeasure are also welcome, you can help me improve by pointing out my mistakes.


End file.
